Cloud Nine
by Livelier
Summary: Lily and James Potter watch over the fifteen year old Harry, and reminisce old times. L/J. Rated for very mild language. Enjoy!


A/N: Hola, amigas! I was very bored the other day, and I had just gotten home from church, so when I sat down to start writing, the idea just kind of popped into my head. It's a bit different from what I usually do, but hopefully you guys like it. Yes, I know, this is not the exact conversation between Molly Weasley and Sirius from Ootp, but it wouldnt work unless I modified it slightly. I don't know why I posted this, since I said I wouldnt update unless I got more reviews on my multi-chapter fic With You, so let's just say that goes into effect right after this. Seriously though, **I NEED MORE REVIEWS!!!!** I don't know how else I can get that through. Though, I have to admit, I'm a bit of a hypocrite, because I almost never review. I only write reviews if I really love the story. Anywho, this is getting waaayyy too long, so I'll just stop here. R&R.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything. I did use a quote from the book Order of the Phoenix, however ("He's not James, Sirius!"). Joanne Rowling owns all rights to the Harry Potter books.

Cloud Nine

_A week before the beginning the Harry's fifth year_

James and Lily Potter sat, overlooking Number 12 Grimmauld Place where their son was arriving for the first time. Lily clutched tighter on her husband's hand as she leaned forward eagerly, trying to get a closer look at Harry. She swore quietly when she noticed how skinny, and pale he appeared.

James took note of this as well, and muttered harshly, "Bloody hell, Lily, look at him. It looks like Petunia and Mt. Vernon have been starving him!" She smiled slightly at James' nickname for her brother-in-law, but didn't take her eyes off her son. "It's good he's here now, with Sirius, and Remus. They'll take good care of him," he assured Lily, rubbing her back with his free hand.

She nodded absently, and then gasped when Sirius and Remus came into view. They both murmured the two Marauders' names in unison. "Maybe the full moon is coming up?" Lily offered half-heartedly. Remus was pale and peaky as ever, and he, along with Sirius, was unshaven and scraggly looking. Sirius resembled his animagus form more than he did the charming, handsome young man they used to know.

A tear leaked from the corner of James' eye a he wrapped his arms around his wife, burying his face in her hair. "I miss them, Lily," he whispered, his voice thick and rough.

The redhead nodded understandingly and reached up to ruffle his messy, black hair. "I know, honey, I know. I wish we didn't have to die. I wish Harry still had someone to call his parents, but wishing won't get us anywhere. They wouldn't want us to be sad for them, just like we wouldn't want them to mope all the time," Lily said gently, though tears were flowing freely down her cheeks, too. She pulled away and grabbed her wand from her back pocket, and began to magically freshen up. Once her tears were dried, and her hair smoothed out again, she turned to James. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous," James replied with a crooked smile. "As always," he added for good measure, kissing her lips quickly.

Lily rolled her eyes and focused her attention back on the Order of the Phoenix meeting. Molly Weasley and Sirius were arguing about whether or not Harry should be allowed to join the Order. When Mrs. Weasley said, "He's not James, Sirius!" James grimaced and exclaimed "Hey!" while Lily nodded approvingly.

"Thank Merlin Molly has some sense. I will not have my only son joining the Order at fifteen years old. That is absolutely out of the question," Lily agreed sternly.

James threw her a disbelieving glance. "Lily, he's perfectly capable of making his own decisions. If he wants to fight, I say he should be allowed to fight! We should be glad _our son_ wants to make a difference!" he argued, but he couldn't keep the pride out of his voice when he said 'our son'.

Lily beamed at that, too, but the smile was short-lived. "James, he's just a teenager! He doesn't know how dangerous it is!"

"Hell, Lily, Harry has been fighting Voldemort—and winning—since he was a year old. He's even more talented than we were at this age, and that's saying something!" James cried, throwing his hands in the air.

Lily smirked and rolled her eyes again. She seemed to do that a lot around James. "There's that arrogant James Potter resurfacing," she teased, hitting him lightly on the arm.

James grinned and opened his mouth to say something, but then he heard a very familiar voice speak up, and his smile turned into a frown. Lily realized what made him harden—Snape was adding his two cents to the conversation below. She ignored his reaction to his old nemesis, and pointed to the staircase of Grimmauld Place where Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry were listening to the meeting through Extendable Ears. James laughed loudly and started applauding. "I always knew he would take after me," he said, feeling very pleased with Prongs Jr.

They both started laughing when Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, started playing with the ear, and the kids' frantic attempts to keep the cat from eating it. Over the playful meows of the cat, they could still hear Sirius and Molly arguing. "James and Lily would have wanted him to join, Molly!" Sirius exclaimed, banging his fist on the table in the center of the room.

Remus began chuckling, and patted Sirius on his shoulder. "Yes, Prongs would be ecstatic at the thought of Harry joining, but you know Lily would go mad. And James always did what Lily says," he pointed out reasonably.

Lily grinned and nodded appreciatively. "Finally, someone who talks sense! At least he knows what a pushover you are," she teased, throwing a dazzling smile at James, who scowled at her.

"Trust me, it's not easy turning down a face like that," he said, pointing at her 100 watt smile, with an expression resembling that of a confounded persons. Lily laughed and latched onto his arm.

She sighed happily. "Remember when you used to ask me out eight times a day? And you would always give me that grin?" James nodded, wearing a confused expression. "Now, think of me in your position and you in mine."

Comprehension flooded across his face, and he grimaced. "I see your point. But I would have caved well before you did."

"Without a doubt," Lily agreed smugly. "I have much more will power." Upon James's glare, she kissed his pouting lips. She was amazed how, even after all these years, his closeness never ceased to cause her stomach to do somersaults and her heart rate to increase dramatically.

"You know I love you, right?" James reminded her when she reluctantly pulled away.

"I have a pretty good idea," Lily replied, rolling her eyes, but smiling all the same.

James pulled her closer, so that she was almost on his lap, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Is it crazy to say that I'm glad we died together?"

She kissed his cheek and nodded understandingly. "No, that's not crazy. I feel the exact same way. Then again, maybe it is, and we're both off our rockers."

"Maybe Sirius will die soon, and he'll be able to keep us company—Ow! Hell, Lily!" he cried when Lily hit him in the arm. "You hit like a man," James grumbled under his breath. Lily heard this and struck him again.

"James, are you suggesting you want your best friend to die?!" she demanded angrily. "What if he does die? I don't think you'd be very happy if he did."

James reached up to smooth out her crinkled forehead. "Relax, Lils. Sirius is a fighter, and I doubt he'll go quietly anyhow." He chuckled before adding, "Besides, he promised me in fifth year that he wouldn't die before giving Bellatrix what's coming to her."

Lily snorted quietly, distracted from her original argument. "I was rather pleased when she escaped Azkaban—it's kind of difficult to kill someone while they're trapped in that place. Merlin, that woman's a complete nutter. She's almost worse than Voldemort!" James smiled down at her clenched fists and listened to her mutterings. "If I could only give that woman a piece of my mind…"

James chuckled. "I think she's gotten a fair chunk of it in the past, actually," James corrected proudly, remembering how Lily had reacted when she found out that Bellatrix had tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom into insanity. James had never seen her so enraged before, and it proved to be a very hard task to keep an eye on her while dueling another masked Death Eater. He wished he had camera to record Bella's horrified and slightly wild expression. Suffice to say, Lily very nearly killed her that day but couldn't bring herself to mutter the last few words to complete the job. Bellatrix smirked at her enemy and Apparated out of there. From then on, when James, Lily, and the rest of the Aurors went on raids, Bellatrix steered clear of Lily.

Lily smiled proudly, and huffed. "Who ever knew it could be so hard to say 'avada kedavra'. Should have just finished her then so Harry wouldn't have to deal with her…"

James shook his head at her. "No, you're not a murderer, Lily. If you had killed her, you wouldn't be here with me. Unlike you, Bellatrix will have the honor of rotting in Hell with her beloved master."

She nodded, gesturing around her. "I pity—almost—anyone who doesn't get to experience this."

James looked around at his surroundings and then down at the chaos that was unfolding beneath them. It seemed so wrong to be here, on Cloud Nine, while the people he loved were down there fighting for their lives. But a little voice in the back of his head told him that it was meant to be this way. And part of him wouldn't have it any other way.

**Important! Read Author's note!**

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this. It's a tid bit depressing, but I think it ended on a happy enough note. Overall, I'm not too thrilled with it, but I don't hate either, so I guess that's good. Anyway, I desperately need many, many reviews!!!!! So, please, unless you're suffering a severe illness, or your hands are cramping up (like mine), just take the time to write a tiny little review. I don't care if it is one word or 50. Just, please, review!!!!!!!!!!!! I need some encouragement. It makes me feel like no one likes my writing when my inbox is empty. Please?

~Livelier~

p.s. Yeah, sorry if you guys thought it was waaayyy more important than that.


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